Articles | Volume 25, issue 23
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-17907-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-25-17907-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
08 Dec 2025
Research article |
| 08 Dec 2025
| 08 Dec 2025
Decadal changes in atmospheric ammonia and dry deposition across China inferred from space-ground measurements and model simulations
Fan Sun
College of Ecology and Environment, Joint Center for sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
Yu Cui
College of Ecology and Environment, Joint Center for sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
Jiayin Su
School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
Mark W. Shephard
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Toronto, Ontario, M3H 5T4, Canada
Shailesh K. Kharol
Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC), Toronto, Ontario, M3H 5T4, Canada
AtmoAnalytics Inc., Brampton, Ontario, L6S 6L2, Canada
Yifan Zhang
College of Ecology and Environment, Joint Center for sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
Xuejing Shi
College of Ecology and Environment, Joint Center for sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
Junqing Zhang
College of Ecology and Environment, Joint Center for sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
Huili Liu
College of Ecology and Environment, Joint Center for sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
Qitao Xiao
Key Laboratory of Lake and Watershed Science for Water Security, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing, China
School of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, 519082, China
Zhao-Cheng Zeng
School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Timothy J. Griffis
Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Cheng Hu
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
College of Ecology and Environment, Joint Center for sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
Yale-NUIST Center on Atmospheric Environment, Collaborative Innovation Center on Forecast and Evaluation of Meteorological Disasters (CIC-FEMD), Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology, Nanjing, 210044, China
Data sets
Inversed Emission Inventory for Chinese Air Quality (CAQIEI) version 1.0 Kong Lei et al. https://doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.13151
ERA5 hourly data on single levels from 1940 to present Hans Hersbach et al. https://doi.org/10.24381/cds.adbb2d47
Historical (1750–2014) anthropogenic emissions of reactive gases and aerosols from the Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) R. M. Hoesly et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-11-369-2018
Short summary
This study used satellite data and models to track ammonia concentration and dry deposition across China from 2013 to 2023. Ammonia levels rose sharply, especially in urban and farming regions, with the North China Plain showing the highest values. Human activity was the main driver of change. These findings highlight growing environmental risks and provide key insights for managing air quality and nitrogen pollution in one of the world's major emission hotspots.
This study used satellite data and models to track ammonia concentration and dry deposition...
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